This invention relates to an imitation milk product having the simulated flavor and texture of milk. More particularly, this invention relates to an imitation milk product having a whey base to which has been added non-dairy ingredients to provide the appropriate texture and flavor.
Whey is broadly defined as the by-product obtained from the manufacture of cheese. Sweet whey is obtained from the manufacture of swiss, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, cheddar, and similar types of cheeses resulting from the action of rennin on casein. The principal components of whey are milk sugar (lactose) and soluble milk protein (lactalbumin). Milk salts which contain calcium, sodium, potassium and phosphate ions are also present as are minor amounts of fat. The cheese from which whey is a by-product consists almost entirely of precipitated milk fat and protein (casein).
Of the milk proteins, casein is much more prevalent in milk than lactalbumin, e.g. from three to five times as great. When the fat and casein have been removed during the cheese making process, essentially all of the remaining milk ingredients remain in the whey. The whey solids comprise only about 7% by weight with the remainder being water.
Many authorities of nutrition have recognized the value of whey solids which consist of about 10-14% protein, primarily lactalbumin, 70-75% lactose, 7-10% salts, 0-1% fat with some enzymes and vitamins, the remainder being moisture. Athletes and consumers of health foods use whey-based powders and products and claim to derive curative, nutritional and health protective benefits. However, products based on whey, and beverages in particular, are unpalatable to humans because of the taste imparted by the whey. As a result, this product is relatively inexpensive and is used primarily as an animal feed or dumped as a waste product creating a sewage disposal problem.
Some attempts have been made to provide a synthetic milk utilizing whey solids. U.S. Pat. No. 2,923,628 which issued of Feb. 2, 1960 teaches a combination of whey solids with lecithin and safflower seed oil and other minor ingredients.
A more recent patent relating to a simulated milk product containing whey solids is U.S. Pat. No. 3,642,493 which issued Feb. 15, 1972. This patent claims a combination of whey along with isolated vegetable protein and vegetable oil wherein the proportions of vegetable protein, vegetable oil and whey are in the same range as the casein, butter fat and whey that are in whole milk. A special processing step is required to prepare the protein.
Whey solids have also been incorporated into such edible compositions as granishes, toppings, and dressings of the sour cream type as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,220 which issued Feb. 2, 1971. Acid whey solids, such as obtained from cottage cheese manufacture, are used with an animal or vegetable fat being the major ingredient.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,220 also mentions the use of water soluble casein, i.e. sodium caseinate. This product is manufactured from casein by treating it with sodium hydroxide. The sodium caseinate salt thus obtained is generally considered to be a "non-dairy" product and contains from about 0.3 to 3.0 percent by weight sodium ions.
Sodium caseinate, vegetable oils and an added carbohydrate are the basic ingredients of "non-dairy" creamers such as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,046,926 which issued Sept. 6, 1977, but are not generally drinkable for beverage purposes because of the high fat content used to provide the creamy texture.
Although sodium caseinate and whey have been used in food products, they have not, heretofore, been used together to provide a palatable similated milk beverage. Each of these products is derived from milk but is considered to be a milk by-product and is often classified as being "non-dairy." Their use together has only been considered suitable as a substitute for non-fat milk solids in chemically leavened baked goods such as is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,943,264 which issued Mar. 9, 1976. Such a product is marketed by Kraft Inc. of Memphis, Tenn. as a non-fat milk "alternate" under the registered trademark Cake Classic.